


Moments

by chartreuseblueandyellow



Category: Hudson & Rex (TV)
Genre: F/M, Missing Moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:09:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29173185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chartreuseblueandyellow/pseuds/chartreuseblueandyellow
Summary: Missing moments from the episodes
Relationships: Charlie Hudson/Sarah Truong
Comments: 42
Kudos: 29





	1. 3x03 (Endless Sumer)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I'm finding that a lot of what I want to write for this show are missing moments from episodes, so instead of making a new fic every time, I'm just making a fic where each chapter is a different moment.
> 
> This one is from 3x03, Endless Summer, and is pretty short.   
> I know people probably haven't watched the new season yet but inspiration struck and I just had to write this so I apologize.

Kendra always loved a visit from Charlie and Rex, something that wasn't as common these days, and she suspected, whether he realised it or not, it had something to do with his relationship with Sarah.  
She didn't miss how, when she mentioned it'd been a while, Charlie looked slightly uncomfortable and Sarah laughed at his reaction but made sure they got back to the point, and Kendra didn't mention it again. 

When Donavan had called about Charlie being missing and possibly in danger, she ignored her rising panic and packed a bag with all the essentials for tracking in the woods, and having a feeling it'd come in handy later, she also packed a second one. 

Kendra pulled up to the coordinates some time later to see Sarah already there with her team, and Charlie's orange car which clearly had its window broken. 

Sarah motioned her over, and after looking under the hood Kendra said, "looks like sabotage."  
Sarah nodded, and picking the note from the car, relayed what direction Charlie and Rex had gone in, in order to pursue the suspect.

Worry built up in her.  
"That means he's going deeper into the barrens. He could be in trouble."

The worry was clear on Sarah's face as she pulled out her phone and updated Donovan, and after hanging up, Kendra said, "Charlie is a resourceful guy, but he's a city cop. And Rex or no Rex, this is a whole new ballgame." 

Nodding in agreement, Sarah let her know that the superintendent was sending a chopper, and she knew that was a good development, but it would take time getting here, besides, she knew the area and had tracking skills.  
She told Sarah as much, who agreed, then said, "I'm coming too, don't try and talk me out of it alright?"

Kendra couldn't help but grin as both the packed bags were brought over. "I thought you might say that."  
Sarah saw the bags and laughed.

Kendra knew that one of the most dangerous things when in the woods, especially on a search and rescue mission, was fear and losing hope, so they made small conversation, keeping the mood light.  
After discussing her daily jogs, Sarah, somewhat hesitantly, asked, "so um… how did you and Charlie meet?"

She hid her smile as she answered.  
"We were friends in high school, then met up after his divorce and kinda continued the friendship," and interested in Sarah's reaction, she added, "well, more than just friends."  
Sarah only smiled, no jealousy in her face, and Kendra couldn't help but add, “you know, Charlie's always been a bit closed off to me, he's a bit of a lone wolf,” but Sarah finding something cut off her next words that, sure Charlie was a bit of a lone wolf, but with Sarah, Rex, and even the rest of the team at SJPD, it seemed like he had found his pack.

Finding the fire Charlie had made confirmed that they were heading in the right direction, and they kept their conversation to a minimum, conserving the breath because they weren't sure how much further they were going to have to hike.  
The sudden _bang!_ of a gunshot filled the air and she and Sarah looked at eachother, concern and fear clear.  
Gauging how far away it was, they immediately picked up the pace with zero conversation, instead using that energy to move as fast as they could.  
Kendra could just feel the waves of worry coming off of Sarah, but the other woman said nothing as she focused on moving towards the sound. 

A second shot sounded and Kendra saw Sarah flinch. They immediately hurried towards the sound, and got there just in time to see Charlie knockout Kent Coolage. 

Kendra hurried to handcuff Coolage, and seeing that it was under control, Charlie said, "thanks for the assist," talking to them both, but with his eyes on Sarah. 

Kendra hid her smile, and making sure the temporary cuffs were secure, she said, "yeah I called for a pickup, chopper will be here in 30 minutes." 

He nodded gratefully at her then turned to Sarah, a smile lighting up his eyes.  
“Hope we didn’t worry you too much?"

The relief was clear in Sarah's posture and her smile.  
“Not at all, I knew it was nothing Rex couldn't handle.”  
Rex barked in agreement. 

Kendra shook her head with a disbelieving smile. She had seen the worry, anxiety and dread that Sarah was feeling before and could see that, right now, they were both forcing themselves to be calm for the others sake.  
How could they not see it?

Finally looking away from each other, Charlie looked at her with a smile.  
“Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

She shrugged with a smile.  
“It was a group effort.”

He only smiled in response as he walked over to Sarah, who reached out as soon as he was close enough and put a hand on his arm, as if needing to be sure he was okay. Charlie softly smiled at her in return, putting his hand on top of hers, reassuring her with his look that he really was okay.  
Kendra couldn’t help but shake her head again. For two people who weren’t together, they certainly seemed like they were. 

Rex happily barked and sat between Sarah and Charlie, the both of them grinning at each other as they reached out to let him. 

Kendra looked at the scene and smiled.  
Charlie had definitely found his pack.


	2. 3x02 (Manhunt)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's another moment from s3 (so sorry again if you haven't watched it yet).  
> I LOVED the kinda hostage scene near the end and you KNOW I had to write about it!  
> I wished we'd gotten more Charlie and Sarah in it tbh, so as well as being a missing moment, I've also changed the scene slightly.  
> Enjoy :)

He and Danny slowly moved towards the entrance of the abandoned building, making sure to stay against the walls.  
Charlie could feel the tension radiating off of his friend, who moved as fast as he could with his wounded leg to get to his wife. They stopped just behind the corner of the room, where they weren't in the line of fire, and at hearing them arrive, Lynn called out, "Danny!"

Ignoring her, the attacker said,"I don't know who this other one is, but I'm betting she's a cop."  
Dread suddenly growing in him, Charlie peeked out from the corner, and he felt himself freezing with panic as his suspicion was confirmed.  
Sarah.  
"If you want them alive, you better get out of here." 

Charlie quickly forced himself to duck back before he gave the other guy too much of a target, and without even realising it, he whispered to himself, “he’s got Sarah.”  
If the man had wanted him and Danny to do what he wanted, he couldn't have picked better people to force them to do it. 

Picking up on the concern in his voice, Danny asked, “I assume she’s pretty important to you?”

Charlie wordlessly nodded, but as Danny suddenly rushed forward, seeing the attacker pull his gun onto his wife, Charlie quickly pushed him back. He understood the urge, but it wasn’t a smart move.  
"You go out there now and he starts shooting. Lynn and Sarah are in the direct line of fire.”

"So what, then?"

Charlie looked at Rex, who was eager to help.  
"I've got an idea."  
He signaled him to go around the long way to sneak up from behind. Rex immediately understood and quietly slipped away.

The man, unaware, kept talking.  
"Maybe you can convince him to come out here. That way no one gets hurt." 

Lynn, who the order was directed to, replied, “I'm not helping you with anything.”

And having Lynn’s back, Sarah added, "you’ll never get away with this, you should just let us go."  
Charlie knew she must be afraid as well, but her tone didn’t show it. 

The man just chucked.  
"Oh then, I guess someone's getting hurt after all," and saying that, he turned to point his gun at Sarah.

Charlie knew he told Danny not to charge in, but because he was trained in these situations, and also because he just couldn't help it, he immediately stepped out from behind the safety of the walls with his gun raised.  
He knew panic wouldn't help the situation, so even though he felt it, he acted like he didn't, and made sure his voice sounded calm.  
"This ends now." 

Sarah turned to look at him, and she quickly shot him a look telling him she was okay, and he sent her one as well.  
Her eyes then quickly darted behind him, and seeing that Rex wasn't there, she gave an almost indistinguishable nod, knowing a plan was in action and letting him know she was ready to act. 

Reassured, he looked back at the man.  
"Let the hostages go, put your gun down."

He laughed.  
"That's not happening man."

"It's your last chance."

"You've got no play here. Make a move and I start shooting."  
Charlie tensed up, but seeing Rex standing in the doorway behind the man, he relaxed slightly. Knowing now was the time, he yelled, "Rex!" and as he rushed forward, gun raised, he saw Sarah wrestling the shotgun from the man as Rex attacked him from behind. 

Charlie quickly glanced to see that Lynn was out of harm's way, and as he trained his gun on the man, he heard the cock of the shotgun.  
"Don't move!"  
With two guns pointed on him, the man froze and slowly raised his arms. 

Slightly out of breath, Sarah asked, “you okay?”

He turned to see her with the shotgun pointed at the man, looking every bit armed and dangerous, and he had to admit, it was a good look on her.  
He couldn’t help his grin.  
“Yeah I’m good,” and motioning to the gun in her hands with his head, added, “thanks for the assist.”

She replied with a smile.  
“Of course.”

Rex barked, and as Charlie handcuffed the man, he called out, “Yeah you too pal.”

Sirens coming closer calmed Charlie evn more, and soon officers were coming in to take the man away. A quick phone call to Donovan cleared up the situation, and after hanging up, he walked over to join Sarah, Rex, Danny and Lynn.  
As he reached them, Sarah reached out and put a gentle hand on his forearm.  
"Thanks for that plan back there."

He grinned back, resting his hand lightly on top of hers for a second.  
"Thanks for catching on to it." 

She smiled, and when Rex barked, she moved her hand to pat his head.  
"I know Rex, thanks for doing the most important part of the plan."  
Rex was panting with his tongue hanging out, and it made it seem like he was smiling. 

Arms around his wife, Danny looked at them both with a smile.  
“Thank you both for keeping Lynn and I safe,” they nodded, and turning to Charlie he added with a wink, “your girl’s every bit as dangerous as you are.”

Charlie couldn't help but freeze slightly, and he and Sarah looked at each other, surprise and slight awkwardness on their faces. Clearing her throat while looking back to Danny, Sarah said, "Charlie and I, uh… we're not… a couple."

Danny turned his gaze onto him, the confusion clear on his face and Charlie knew he was thinking of the moment before.  
Chuckling slightly, he said, “she’s not my girl, but she is dangerous and not to be messed with.”

Sarah laughed, adding, "and you best remember that." 

Rex barked, and laughing, Charlie said, "yeah I know pal, we won't forget."

They all laughed.


	3. 1x08 (Fast Eddie's)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A throwback episode!   
> So this isn’t exactly a missing moment, I just wanted to replace the ending scene cuz I wanted more of a moment there, so here it is.

Coffee in hand and Rex by his side, Charlie weaved through the slightly nightmarish scene of the exploded van to reach Sarah.  
She filled him in on what happened and what they knew so far, and after Rex found the bag with the probable identity of the victim, Charlie took a sip of his coffee.  
Sarah looked at him with a grin.  
“I see you uh, have a fan.”

Confused, he followed her gaze to his cup, chuckling slightly when he realised what she was looking at.   
“I didn’t even see her number, that’s awkward.”

She smiled in response, but before she could say anything, a yell sounded to take cover from a secondary explosion and he and Sarah immediately ducked down, and as she shifted to be tucked up against his side, he put an arm around her, holding her close. Rex came and tucked his head against them both, and just in time, as the _bang!_ of the explosion sounded and the resulting shockwave rocked them all, even though the three of them were in a tight huddle. 

Hearing an 'all clear!' they stood back up and Charlie looked at the people running to the van, then back to Sarah with a sigh.   
"So it's going to be one of those days huh?" 

A very long and exhausting say later, Rex sat perched in his usual spot and Charlie sat opposite him in an office chair, playing with the tennis ball that Rex was too tired to play with.  
Donovan and Jessie had long since left but he was still here because he was in no rush to go home, and besides, he liked how the office felt when it was empty.   
As if on cue, the door to the office opened, and Charlie felt himself relax slightly as he saw who it was.  
Grinning at Sarah, he said, “still here huh?”

She smiled as she walked over.  
“Just about to head home,” and sitting next to Rex on the bench, asked, “do you still have things to finish up?”

“Nope, I finished my report just after Jessie and Donovan headed off, but it’s actually pretty nice in the office when there's no one else in it,” and when she raised an eyebrow, he sincerely added, “you’re the exception of course.

She softly smiled at him, and they sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, Sarah absentmindedly petting Rex’s back.   
A sudden teasing glint in her eye, she asked, “hey… did you ever call that number on your cup?"

He shrugged.  
“Didn't work out."  
She nodded, and suddenly remembering what Jessie had done, he said, “do you know that Jessie did a background dive on her and printed it all out for me to read?”

Sarah’s eyes widened.  
“Wait, really?!”  
He nodded and she shook her head with a disbelieving chuckle.  
“Wow, that’s totally crossing a line there.”  
He agreed wholeheartedly, and after a pause, she looked at him with a twinkle in her eye.  
“Did you read it?”

He chuckled and said, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted, but I definitely did not.”

Sarah nodded approvingly, and then seeming slightly hesitant, asked, “so, why’d it not work out?"

He grinned at her.  
"She was really nice, but it would never work out -” he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “- she’s a cat person." 

Sarah laughed while shaking her head.  
"Surely that can't be it."

It was just her here and so he didn't really mind telling the truth, and so with a shrug, said, "she told me it was okay if I wasn't ready, and it made me realise that maybe I wasn't, what with the divorce and honestly more so work and how it's pretty much my life at this point," Sarah nodded understandingly, and grinning at her then Rex, he added, "besides, Rex wasn't too fond of her and I definitely can't have that now can I?"

Rex barked in agreement, making them both laugh, then turned to rest his head on Sarah's lap who smiled fondly down as she stroked his head. 

Charlie grinned at the sight, the significance of Rex's action not lost on him.

Looking back up at him, she said, “well, I think it’s time I headed off."

He nodded, and knowing it was time for him and Rex to do the same, said, "we'll walk you out."  
She happily agreed, and they shut everything down as they left the building, making light conversation as they did.  
Sarah had parked on the opposite side of the car park, and she turned around to leave but, apparently changing her mind, turned back.  
With a hint of a smile on her face, she said, "and hey Charlie."

"Yeah?"

"Enjoy being single while you can. Besides -" she grinned at him, "- I'm sure you'll be scooped up soon enough."

He laughed, and with a pat for Rex and a parting smile for him, she walked off to her car, leaving him looking after her with a grin.


	4. 1x07 (Trial and Error)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out way longer than I was expecting, but like hey, I just write wherever the flow of the story takes me, and this was it apparently!

It was dark out and they had _finally_ wrapped up the hostage/pharmacy trials case. Sarah had gone with Allison to the hospital while he’d been working on the case, and he hadn’t seen her at all since she left the building, and hadn’t talked to her apart from a few texts.   
Getting ready to finally leave the office, Charlie and Rex were about to leave when Donovan called out, “hey Charlie?”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to do one more task.”

Usually Charlie was a patient man, but this day had been long and stressful, and after seeing Sarah in person and making sure she really was okay, he was ready for some rest.  
He managed to hold in his sigh as he said, “Yup?”

A faint smile on his face, Donovan said, “I need Sarah’s story of everything that went down and she’s with Allison at the hospital right now. Can you go and ask her?"

Relief flooded through Charlie and he couldn't help his smile.  
"I'll get right on it."  
He and Rex immediately set off, and because Sarah had mentioned in her text that Allison’s husband was there as well, he got a few coffees before arriving at the hospital. 

Walking into the room, he saw that Allison was still unconscious, but the nurse outside had said that the surgery had gone well and they were just waiting for her to naturally come off of the anesthesia.   
Standing in the doorway, he saw Allisom’s husband, Ben, sitting in a chair, staring worriedly at his wife with a blank gaze.  
On the other side sat Sarah, and though he could see how weary she was, a sudden relief filled him.

Seeing him in the doorway, Sarah’s eyes lit up.  
“Hey Charlie.”  
He grinned at her, and as he was about to reply, Rex went and put his head in her lap, and grinning as she scratched his head, she said, “good to see you too Rex.”

Grinning at them, he went over to introduce himself to Ben, and holding out a coffee, said, “I don’t know your normal order but I thought you could use some.”

Ben looked tired, but gave him a grateful smile.  
“I certainly can, thanks man.”

“I’m sure they’ve already told you, but I just talked to the nurse, and she’s reassured that Allison is going to be just fine, she’s just taking her time waking up.”

Ben laughed.  
“Of course she is.”

And from the corner, Sarah added with a smile, “Allison always took forever to wake up, she was never a morning person.”  
They all chuckled, and Charlie saw that Ben appreciated the moment of levity. 

Walking over to Sarah, he handed her a cup.  
“And for the lady, a piping hot mocha.”  
She gratefully took it from him, humming in approval as she took a sip. Pulling the free chair next to her, he sat down, taking the last coffee for himself. 

For the next 20 minutes or so, Sarah and Ben exchanged stories about Allison while he listened in amusement and Rex sat calmly at his and Sarah’s feet.   
Allison suddenly started moving and they all jumped up, Ben rushing to her. Sarah hung back by his side, but he could feel her body sag with relief. Reassurances from the doctors that Allison was going to be okay was great, but actually seeing it for herself was something else, and gently putting an arm around her shoulders, Charlie whispered, “she’s okay.”

After a few moments with her husband, Allison looked up, and when her eyes lit up as she saw Sarah, Sarah eagerly ran over to her friend. Charlie stayed back, letting Ben and Sarah have this moment.   
After a few minutes, Allison looked up at him and he said, “glad to see you’re doing okay.”

Recognition dawned in her eyes and voice still weak, she said, "you're the cop who was talking on the phone."

Charlie remembered that she'd been unconscious when he'd arrived in person, and smiling, Sarah said, “yeah he was, _and_ he got us all out of there.”

Charlie laughed.  
“While I appreciate that, it was actually _you_ , Sarah, who got everyone out of there.”

Sarah smiled softly at him, which he returned, and she added, "well, I had _some_ help."

Rex barked, and when Allison slowly said, "yeah, you were pretty helpful there Rex," he went up and gently licked her hand.

The nurse came in, raised an eyebrow at Rex but said nothing, and did her checks then said, “you’re healing up quite nicely, but we’re going to keep you overnight in case of complications,” and seeing everyone’s worried reactions, quickly added, “we don’t see that happening, but it is protocol.”

Ben was staying the night with his wife and after reassurances and promises to see each other tomorrow, Sarah was ready to leave.  
As they walked out, Sarah said, "so… I came with Allison in the ambulance and don't have my car here…"

Charlie laughed.  
"Of course I'll give you a ride," and as they all got in the car, he asked, "do you want me to drop you off at your place or do you want to come over? I'm sure you're just as hungry as I am." 

Sarah laughed.   
"Oh definitely the second option. I think the last thing I ate was breakfast."  
He laughed and she called and ordered pizza, and just after they'd arrived at his place, it was delivered.   
As he filled Rex’s food bowl, Sarah took off her shoes and blazer, making herself comfortable as she curled up on the couch.   
After everything that had happened, he had the urge to sit close to her and so, instead of sitting on the side of her that had more space, he squeezed in between her and the arm of the couch. She only smiled as she continued to eat, moving her legs slightly to accommodate him. 

They ate the first few slices in a comfortable silence, and after a while, as he felt the stress of the day finally starting to fade away, he slipped Rex his crust while reaching for another piece and said, "some day, huh?" 

Laughing tiredly, she said, “understatement of the year.”

“You were pretty incredible in that situation, you know.”

She gave him a surprised smile.  
“You think?”

Nodding as he swallowed his bite, he said, “definitely. I couldn’t have handled it any better if I’d tried, and I mean that genuinely”

Blushing slightly but looking pleased, she said, “I’m glad you think that because while I was calm on the inside, I was absolutely _terrified_.”

Charlie had no doubt about that. If he were in the same situation, he would’ve been scared as well, and he had police training on how to handle it, something Sarah didn’t have.   
“You know, I’m always here if you want to talk about it, cry, or vent.”

She gave a tired chuckle.  
“I’ll definitely take you up on that, but right now it feels like the whole day has caught up to me and I'm _tired_.”  
In that moment, it would've felt weird if he _didn't_ put his arm around her, so he did, and she must've felt the same because rested a light hand on his leg and her head on his shoulder.

Rex rested his head on both of their knees, and after getting a few pats from them both, went over and lay down on his bed.  
The tv was on, but honestly neither of them were paying attention to it, the sounds becoming ambient noise as they sat in comfortable silence, soaking up each other's presence after the day they’d had. And with Rex gently snoring in his bed, Sarah’s breathing evening out against him, and the fact that he finally felt calm after a long stressful day, Charlie felt himself drift off. 

An insistent ringing pulled Charlie out of his sleep, and slightly annoyed to have been woken up, he reached out, moving carefully as he realised that at some point in the night he and Sarah had slipped down to stretch the length of the couch, Sarah still tucked into his side, his arm still around her.   
Grabbing the vibrating phone from the coffee table, and sliding the icon to answer, he mumbled, “hello?”

There was a silence before Jessie asked, “Charlie?”

He was nowhere near fully awake yet, and the fact that Jessie wasn’t getting straight to the point was making him slightly cranky.  
“Yes Jessie, it's me. What do you want?”

“Um… nothing, well nothing yet I mean.” Charlie couldn’t help his noise of impatience and Jessie hurried to explain.  
“A body was found 10 minutes ago, and while we’re going to need you and Rex, we need forensics there first, and I thought I’d called Sarah but I must’ve dialed the wrong number.”

Charlie pulled the phone away from his ear and realised the mistake he’d made as he saw it. Sarah started moving against him, slowly waking up, but Charlie put the phone back against his ear and with as straight of a voice as he could muster, said, “no, you called the right number.”

There was a surprised silence and Charlie held in a sigh, having a feeling he knew what was about to come.  
“So you just happened to answer Sarah’s phone at… at 6:45 this morning? I admit I _do_ have a few questions and -”

“Not what it seems like Jessie.”  
A chuckle sounded through the line, but before Charlie could say anything, Rex, who had woken up, climbed over him straight onto Sarah and started licking her face to wake her up. Charlie felt slightly offended that Rex had completely ignored him, but he had to admit, this situation was pretty cute. 

Sarah woke up, sleepily chuckling as she tried to push Rex’s face away, and in a sleep-filled raspy voice, said, “good morning Rex,” and Charlie had to admit again how cute it was. 

“That _is_ Sarah's voice right next to you right?

He’d forgotten that Jessie was still on the line and couldn’t help his huff of annoyance. He definitely wasn't awake enough yet for Jessie's amusement.   
Rex still stretched out on top of her and her cheek still on his shoulder, Sarah tilted her head back to look at him with a sleepy look of confusion and Charlie couldn’t help but grin at how adorable she looked.  
Pulling the phone away, he whispered, “Jessie called, there’s a new case, but I accidentally answered your phone and I can feel his grin through it.”

Sarah pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh, and rolling his eyes, Charlie ignored whatever Jessie was saying and cut in.  
“Just text the location.”

“To you or Sarah?”

“You choose,” and with that, he hung up.

He turned to Sarah with a sigh.  
“We’re _never_ going to hear the end of this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've watched the most recent episode, you'd have watched the reference I made to a scene (and because that was in my head, this turned out much longer than I had planned).   
> While it wasn’t a "lose ur mind crazy" kind of shipper moment, in a different scenario, it definitely has the potential to be. (I'm trying not to give too much away cuz I know a lot of you haven't watched it).


	5. 3x08 (Sleeping Beauty)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So _obviously_ I had to write a fic about why Charlie came in late (like COME ON!! He was with Sarah the night before and came in to work late (looking slightly disheveled??!?) with no explanation?!)   
> This took a while to come up with because there was only one explanation in my mind and since I’m not comfortable writing smut (I leave that to the professionals in this fandom), this is what I came up with instead.  
> Enjoy :)

Charlie walked over to the fridge to grab them more beer, and coming back to the counter, he saw Sarah examining the drawing Sophie had given her.   
“It's some sort of woman with uh -” she counted them, “- seven kids?”

Confused, Charlie took the paper from her and not being able to help his laugh as he handed it back, he said, “these are dwarves, as in Snow White and the seven dwarves?”

“Oh boy, that's really obvious now,” and scrunching her face up, she added, “I’d make a terrible mother.”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that,” he immediately replied, because he knew without doubt that that wasn't true, and when she made an unsure face and he continued.  
“Sophie sought you out, I’d say that there was a reason for that.”  
She smiled softly at his reassurance, and wanting to keep that smile there, he added, “and now that I think about it, Snow White was definitely in witness protection in the woods because her step mother was trying to kill her.”

Sarah rolled her eyes.  
“See, this is why I hate fairytales, because wicked stepmothers aren't real and you don't need a prince for a happily ever after.”

Charlie couldn’t help but wonder if she was implying something, especially with her last point, but all he said was, “hmm,” as he took a sip of his beer, and Sarah studied his face as she did the same.  
After a beat of silence, and interested in what she’d say, he asked, “if _you_ had to write a fairytale, what would it be about?”

She raised an eyebrow, and after thinking about it for a few moments, said, “It’d be about a Vietnamese princess named Sarah,” and grinning she quickly added, “no relation.”  
Charlie laughed, and chuckling she continued, “and she’d be a genius scientist who helps save her kingdom through the power of her knowledge.”

Laughing as he took another sip, he said, “wow, what an original storyline. I’ve definitely never heard anything like _that_ before,” and grinning as she laughed at his sarcasm, he couldn’t help but ask, “so no prince in your story?”

Sarah laughed, knowing exactly what he was asking, and said, “princess Sarah needs no prince, but she _does_ have a sidekick, a knight named Charlie, and _he_ also has a sidekick, a gallant steed by the name of Rex.”

Charlie couldn’t help his belly laugh and Sarah joined in, and after he caught his breath, he asked, “I’m your sidekick?” 

She grinned teasingly at him.  
“Yup. If you want to be in my story, you’re going to have to be my sidekick.”

Giving a dramatic sigh, he said, “fine, if that’s the only way for me to be in your story I’ll take it,” and remembering what he’d been called during the day, he added with a grin, “but knight _is_ a bit of a downgrade, especially since people have been calling me prince charming today.”

Sarah gave him a look of disbelief.  
“Wait, what? Really?” 

Laughing, he explained.  
“Yup, Melina’s daughter asked if I was prince charming coming to kiss the princess to wake her up -” Sarah rolled her eyes, “- and she said yes, and then later she called me that herself as well.”

Sarah shook her head, but a teasing grin suddenly lighting up her face, she replied “Awww, how _charming_.”

Charlie choked slightly on his drink, he hadn’t expected that from her, and he laughingly said, “wow, that was _terrible_ ,” she chuckled, and a potentially horrible idea coming to mind, he said, “you should take a shot for how bad that was.”

Sarah’s eyes widened and she pointed her bottle at him accusingly.  
“Wow, hold on a second! Sure, I’ll admit that that wasn’t my greatest work, but what about your puns today? The two times you made a pun about if the shoe fits?”

Charlie laughed as he finished off his beer, and as he walked over to the cupboard to bring his bottle of whisky, he said, “fine, I’ll take two shots while you take one.”

Sarah studied his face with a slight smile on hers, and seeming to consider it, after a few moments she said, “okay, sounds fair.”

Charlie grinned as he put the bottle onto the counter, and as he grabbed two shot glasses, she set all the papers into a neat pile to the side.   
He poured out the shots, and as they held up their glasses, Charlie grinned as he decided to make a toast, knowing it’d get a reaction out of her.  
“To our happily ever after's.”

Much to his delight, Sarah’s jaw dropped and as he continued silently smiling at her, feeling very proud of himself, she laughed as she shook her head.  
“You deserve to take another shot for that _incredibly_ cheesy and, quite frankly, horrible toast.”

Charlie only chuckled.  
“That’s fair,” and after lightly touching his glass against hers, he downed his shot, and as Sarah did the same, he couldn’t help but find it cute as she winced slightly when the alcohol went down.  
Shaking it off though, she looked at him with a smirk.  
“You still have to do two more.”

Already pouring it out, he said, “I know, I know,” and she watched, amusement twinkling in her eyes as he downed it, poured another, and drank that too.

Sarah chuckled.  
“You’re _so_ going to regret this in the morning.”

Given that he was already feeling the alcohol, he knew it was true and replied, “trust me, I know.”

Glancing at the pile of papers then back at him, Sarah said, “if only we’d solved this case today, then we wouldn’t have had to worry about the effects of this tomorrow.” 

Charlie sighed in agreement. The thought of how tonight would go with them drinking more than just their normal wine, and not having to get up early tomorrow caused endless scenarios in his head, some which he wouldn’t admit to.  
“If only we’d gotten the prints from the car today.”

Sarah nodded empathetically, but a sudden teasing glint appearing in her eyes, one which confused him yet automatically made his heart flutter in his chest, she said, “someday, your _prints_ will come.”

He froze, staring at her with complete surprise, and she stared back, waiting for his reaction.  
After a few seconds though, they simultaneously burst into loud guffaws of laughter causing Rex to run into the kitchen, but not being able to say anything through his laughter, Charlie patted him on the head to let him know they were okay.  
Body still shaking, he looked up to meet Sarah’s eyes, and maybe it was the whisky, but it only made him laugh harder.  
Moving from Rex to the bottle, through his laughter he managed to get out, “while that was actually pretty good, you _definitely_ deserve a shot for that!”

Her laughter subsided but amusement still lighting up her eyes, Sarah said, “yeah I know, but the opportunity was too good to pass,” and as he poured one out for her, she added, “besides, I felt slightly bad that you’ve already had three shots when I’ve just had one.”

Laughing as he handed her the glass, he said, “all I need now is for you to make a few more fairytale puns and then you’ll inevitably be just as miserable as me in the morning.

Sarah chuckled as she raised her glass.  
“Well cheers to that happy prospect,” and she drank the shot, wincing slightly again as it went down.   
Charlie smiled.  
Feeling like it was going to be a long night, he decided to make himself comfortable, taking off his suit jacket and tie, and unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt. He turned to see Sarah quickly look away from him and neaten up the pile of folders.   
He smiled, but not bringing attention to her reaction, he grabbed the bottle in one hand and the glasses with the other and nodded towards the living room.  
“Couch?”

Sarah nodded and followed him, and wearily eyeing the bottle said, “I don’t know how much more we can drink without being completely unfit for work tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to drink anymore -” she raised an eyebrow, “- _unless_ one of us makes another pun.”  
Sarah shook her head, smiling as they settled onto the couch, sitting side by side while Rex stretched out on the other one.   
Chuckling as he remembered what started this all, Charlie said, “I can’t believe you said that horrible charming pun!”

Shaking her head, she replied, “I admit, it wasn’t my proudest moment,” and as he laughed harder, it _had_ been quite terrible, she lightly slapped his knee and said, “you have to let it go Charlie!”

He burst into laughter.  
“You have to take a shot!”

“Wait what?” and holding her hands up while shaking her head she quickly added, “but I didn't say anything!”

Laughing as he reached for the bottle, despite her protest, he said, “you said let it go!”

“And what?! I was just telling you to let that pun go! How’s that a fairytale reference?”

He looked at her in slight disbelief.  
“The song from frozen? Let it go?  
She shook her head in confusion and, chuckling as he poured out the drink, said, “I can’t believe you’ve never heard it, it was _everywhere_ when it came out!”

“Well it's not _my_ problem if I’ve never heard it before!”

Handing her the glass, he shook his head, but the mirth clear in his voice, he said, “rules are rules Sarah.”

She huffed but begrudgingly took the drink from him, and after shooting it down, mumbled, “I didn’t even realise this stupid game _had_ rules.”  
Charlie chuckled, and after putting her glass back on the table, sat back next to her. Remembering how comfortable he was earlier in the day sitting next to her, he slumped down so he could rest his head against her upper arm, not being able to help his huge grin as she seemingly absentmindedly started raking her free hand through his hair. 

They sat like that, soaking up each other's presence in comfortable silence while slightly tipsy, for a while. Some time later, Charlie couldn’t gauge how long later, Sarah took her hand away, and he was about to complain, but instead she rested her head on top of his while saying, “I need to sleep.”

Now that she mentioned it, he _was_ feeling pretty sleepy, but also feeling _way_ too comfortable against her, he made no effort to move, instead mumbling, “good idea.”

Speaking against his hair, the feeling of her breath against him causing goosebumps, she asked, “guestroom?”

He shook his head against her arm.  
“No bed in it yet.”

Sarah shook her head as if she wasn’t all too surprised to hear that, her cheek rubbing against his hair, and not wanting to have to move away from her, Charlie lazily added, “we can just sleep here.”

Sarah snorted and he couldn’t help but laugh at the sound, though he tried to reel it back in as she lightly slapped his chest for laughing at her.  
“My _reason_ for that reaction was that we’re not as young as we used to be. If you fall asleep here in that slouched sitting position, your back will be killing you for the rest of the week.”

Charlie harrumphed, he wasn’t _that_ old, but she had a fair point, and only one possible solution in his head, he said, “fine, me and you can just sleep on my bed.”

Sarah stiffened slightly against him, and obviously if she wasn’t comfortable doing that he’d happily take the couch, but sensing more it was more of apprehension rather than reluctance, he joked, “what, is princess Sarah scared I’ve hidden a pea under my mattress?”

Sarah burst into laughter, and with the slight tension gone, he couldn’t help but do the same. Putting a hand lightly on his chest, he wondered if she could feel how fast his heart was beating at having her this close, she laughed and said, “there’s a lot of stupid fairytales out there, but that might be one of the stupidest. It’s scientifically impossible that you’d feel that pea, especially under, what was it, 12 layers of mattresses?!”  
He laughed at how riled up she was getting on the subject and the fact that tipsy Sarah was bringing science into this, but before he could comment, she continued.

“But saving that argument for another day -” he chuckled, “- I was going to say that you should take a shot for that comment, but -” he groaned at the thought, and laughing as she gently patted his chest, she said, “ _but_ I don’t think you’d wake up tomorrow morning if you did -” he nodded gratefully against her, “- so instead I’ll just take great satisfaction in knowing that I’ve won.”

“Hey wait a minute!”  
Charlie tilted his head back, causing her to move head off of his, and he looked up at her smug smiling face.  
“How did _you_ win?” And mumbling slightly to himself, he added, “I didn’t even realise we _could_ win in whatever this game is.”

Sarah just shrugged, her eyes bright with laughter as she repeated his earlier words back to him.  
“Hey, rules are rules -” he huffed, “- and the rules clearly state that I’ve won.”

Charlie shook his head.  
“Unbelievable,” and looking at the sleepy Rex, asked, “what do you think pal, who won?”  
Rex walked over, put his front paws on the couch and sleepily licked a now smug Sarah, then seemingly done with their shenanigans for the day, walked over to his bed and promptly fell asleep.

Charlie shook his head in disbelief.  
“My own fur baby, conspiring against me.”   
Sarah burst into laughter and he smiled. After a few moments, he softly asked, “to bed?”

He could almost feel the gears turning in her head, and after a beat of silence was about to offer to sleep on the couch when she said, “yeah, let’s go to sleep.”  
Hiding his smile, he happily got up, feeling the tipsiness hit him full force as he stood. It must’ve shown, because a chuckling Sarah put a hand on his back to steady him as she got up too.   
They walked towards his room, the both of them steadying each other, only stopping to give Rex his goodnight pat. 

In the room, Charlie flopped onto his bed but immediately groaned at the slight nausea that rose at the movement. He expected a sarcastic remark from Sarah, chastising him for his sudden action, but at the silence, looked up to see her standing at the side of the bed.  
Knowing what was going through her mind, he patted the space next to him and said, “don’t overthink it Sarah.”

She sighed, not in annoyance, but acceptance, and he smiled as she crawled onto the bed, but it was _his_ turn to freeze in surprise as she moved to lay with her head on his chest.  
Sarah lightly patted him on his shoulder where her hand rested, laughing at his reaction, and her words slightly muffled against him, she said, “don’t overthink it Charlie.”  
A smile broke out on his face and he relaxed as he put an arm around her shoulders, holding her against him.   
Warmth flooded through him as she sleepily snuggled deeper into his chest, and not being able to help the smile on his face, he sleepily whispered into her hair, “night Sarah.”

Her reply vibrated slightly against his chest.  
“Goodnight Charlie.”

Charlie woke up to a headache and a large slobbery tongue licking his face.   
Groaning, he pushed Rex away from him, only to hear Sarah groan as Rex moved to trying to wake her up instead.  
Pushing Rex’s face away so his panting breath wasn’t on either of their faces, Charlie realised that he and Sarah had cuddled up even more while sleeping. She still had her head on his chest, but he was now holding her against him with both arms and she had thrown a leg over both of his.   
He grinned, but that was quickly cut off as Rex started licking his face again.  
His voice coming out slow and raspy, Charlie said, “yeah, yeah, I’m awake pal.”

Apparently satisfied, Rex stopped licking him but moved onto Sarah again who weakly tried to hold him off, and voice sounding much like his, she sleepily said, “I’m not ready to get up yet Rex,” and voice muffled as she buried her face deeper into his chest to get away from Rex's wake up call, she added, “tell him Charlie.”

He chuckled at the almost whining tone of her voice, but then looking at Rex in slight confusion, said, “Rex usually isn’t this insistent in the mornings.”

Mumbling against him, Sarah asked, “what time is it?”

Absentmindedly kissing the top of her head before he removed one arm from around her, he stretched out to grab his phone and froze as he saw the time glaring back at him.  
“Shit.”

Sarah wasn’t alarmed by his outburst, instead sleepily asking, “what happened?”

“It’s seven thirty.”

Now _that_ alarmed her and she bolted up, groaning and holding her head as she asked, “is it really?”  
He nodded as he got out of bed, moving fast even though his body didn’t want to. 

They should’ve been at work by _seven_.

“Oh that’s not good.”  
Charlie nodded, agreeing whole heartedly with Sarah, and stumbling slightly to his closest, his brain was yet to be fully awake, he pulled out a suit.   
Managing a smile as he saw what else was in there, he threw the blouse at a startled Sarah.  
Pulling it off of her face as she got off the bed, she asked, “what’s this?”

He motioned for her to follow him as he walked into the kitchen as he said, “remember that time you were over for dinner and Rex accidentally spilled wine onto you? I promise it’s clean now though.”

Sarah’s surprised “oh yeah” came as he filled Rex’s bowl who, apparently quite hungry because he was getting his breakfast much later than usual, immediately dug in.  
Feeling oddly happy and upbeat, despite his headache, Charlie turned to face Sarah with a smile.  
“How are you feeling?”

Seemingly in a similar mood as him, she smiled even though she said, “I’ve got a headache and feeling slightly nauseous. You?”

Walking back to the room to get ready, Sarah following, he replied, “pretty much the same,” and looking over his shoulder with a smile, asked, “any hangover remedies up your sleeve?”

Sarah laughed, and as he nodded towards the bathroom, letting her go first, she walked in but talked through the closed door.  
“Everyone likes to list weird remedies, but the best hangover cures are simple. Firstly, sleep helps a lot -” he heard her muffled laugh, “- clearly we got more than we should’ve -” he laughed as well, “- but because alcohol dehydrates the body, drinking water also really helps. A lot of water plus electrolyte drinks works wonders. That plus carbs.”

The door opened to reveal a much more refreshed looking Sarah and he raised an eyebrow.  
“I didn’t realise that they taught hangover remedies in med school.”

Sarah laughed as he walked into the bathroom and he heard her say, “obviously learning about the human body helps, but I’ve had my fair share of needing them the day after for class, or heaven forbid, a test.”  
Surprise filled Charlie and he laughed, and hearing it, Sarah added through the door, “I’m a woman full of surprises Charlie.”  
He heard her walk off, but he couldn’t help but smile as he said, “and so you are.” 

The next 10 minutes passed in a blur. They scarfed down a breakfast of dry toast, a lot of water, and the electrolyte drink he had for after his runs, they drank some painkillers, and after scrambling around to make sure they packed everything that they needed for the day, the three of them piled into the car.  
They drove with all the windows down, counting on the sharp St John’s wind to wake them up even more.   
One of the benefits of his new place was that he lived closer to work, and driving faster than usual, he managed to get there in under 10 minutes.

Walking in but pausing as they passed the cafeteria, he nodded towards the coffee machine, and they made a detour as he quickly made some for him and Sarah. Though they were feeling in relatively good spirits, Charlie knew the way they’d slept/woken up had everything to do with it, he knew that they could both use some caffeine.   
Handing her cup to her, she took a sip as they walked down the hallway and she hummed in appreciation as they got to the crossroads, Sarah needing to go right for the lab and he needed to go left.  
Holding up her cup, she said, “thanks for this,” and a mischievous grin lighting up her face, she added with a wink, “my knight in shining armour.”

Charlie laughed while she gave Rex a pat, and with a cheeky smile for him, she was off.   
He shook his head. She really was amazing.  
His moment was ruined however, as he saw the clock in the hallway and was startled to see it was almost eight.   
He was officially an hour late.   
Charlie quickened his pace and fumbled to grab his keycard out of his pocket while being careful not to spill his coffee or trip over Rex who weaved through his legs to go through the now open door. 

Naively, and slightly foolishly, Charlie hoped that now one would realise how late he was, but, unfortunately, they weren’t detectives for nothing, and glancing at him then his watch, Donovan said, “nice of you to join us this morning.”

“Uh… um…” Charlie’s brain refused to come up with a good excuse and so he ended up saying, “Rex took forever to get out of the house this morning.”   
Seeing that he’d forgotten to button up his cuffs, he put the coffee down onto the table, but looking back up and seeing the disbelief on Donovan and Jessie’s faces, he admitted, “okay, I took forever to get out of the house this morning,” and as he finished up his cuff buttons, Charlie could swear he saw slight smirks on both of their faces.  
Not really wanting to know how they were reading the situation, he quickly asked, “what did I miss?”

As Jessie filled him in, Charlie tightened up his tie, because in their rush to get to work, he hadn’t done it as neatly as he normally would’ve, and though he could feel Donovan’s eyes on him, clearly his boss didn’t get to where he was without being observant, Charlie kept looking at Jessie.   
While listening to what he was saying, an idea came to mind and he was ready to try it out.  
And though he could still feel the, albeit fading, headache, Charlie found that he was feeling upbeat and even energetic which never happened after a night of drinking. But then again, he'd never woken up with Sarah cuddled up on him, and he had no doubt that that was the real reason behind his mood.

Donovan clearly wasn’t too sure about his plan, and though he made a completely valid point that any evidence they gather couldn’t be used in court, Charlie couldn’t shake the urge of feeling like he had a lot of energy to get stuff done, so replied, “yeah, well at least we’ll know if we’re barking up the right tree.”

Rex barked, clearly not appreciating his pun just like Sarah hadn't appreciated them either, and as Charlie turned to his partner, he saw Donovan and Jessie exchange a look of confusion, clearly picking up that his mood was different than normal, and given that and the fact that he came in late, he really didn’t want to know what they were thinking, so ignoring them, he said to Rex, “It's just a figure of speech, but I am going to need my partner though. You up for it?”  
Rex barked in agreement.  
“Okay.”  
He shot Donovan and Jessie a quick smile and before leaving, made sure to grab his coffee, after all, after last night, he was going to need caffeine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, I always use the same reason as to why Charlie has Sarah’s clothes at his house but I can’t think of any other platonic reason (and it is plausible), so yeah.  
> Also, was it just me, or did Charlie seem kind of perkier when he came in late and that didn’t escape Jessie and Donovan's attentions??


End file.
